In churches and schools Harvest Festivals are being held to celebrate the crops gathered from the fields this year and to give thanks to God for his provision of the food we eat. A well-known harvest hymn says, “We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land; but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand: he sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain, the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain. All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above, then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord for all his love. We thank thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good, the seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food; no gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts, but what thou most desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.”

We are thankful for the hard work of farmers who grow the food we eat. They have had a difficult year, especially during the summer drought. We are also conscious of those who find it difficult to buy the food each week they need for their families. Food banks provide food for around 2.5 million people in the UK. About 7% of all children in the UK live in households that rely on food bank support. Many of the people who are helped by food banks are disabled or on Universal Credit. Some who work but are unable to cover essential living costs. Increasing costs for mortgages and rent, energy and fuel are making daily life very difficult for some families.

Planet Earth is an amazingly fertile place which produces more than enough food to feed every person on the planet.There are great inequalities. It is estimated that 673 million people face chronic hunger while more than 1 billion people are living with obesity, about 1 in 8 people in the world. Adult obesity has doubled since 1991. 

How can we respond? By being thankful. Jesus taught his disciples to pray “Give us each day our daily bread.” Saying grace before a meal giving thanks to God for providing our daily food is good. By remembering, too, to pray for those who don’t have daily food and doing what we can to help them. By learning to be more moderate in our own appetites. By sharing with others. Many Christians in the first century were in need because of persecution. The Apostle Paul urged their fellow Christians to help them saying, “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need, and plenty left over to share with others.”